


Dad and I

by pikajo14



Series: Reflections [3]
Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Retrospective
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-12
Updated: 2018-02-12
Packaged: 2019-03-17 12:06:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13658649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pikajo14/pseuds/pikajo14
Summary: Gohan, Trunks, and Goten think about their fathers and how they affected their lives. This is an old work from my fanfiction account and was written before Super. There is some headcannon and links to other works of mine inside, so don't take everything so seriously.





	1. Gohan

I glance up at a photo of the man I know as my father, Son Goku. How could I not be proud?

All of my life, I have looked up to this man. Not only was he the world’s most powerful fighter, he didn’t flaunt it. He was confident, but not over confident. He would always do what was right, that was just who he was, even if it cost him everything.

Most people wouldn’t understand my father, he was never home after his first death, but I couldn’t really blame him. He was a hero. My father couldn’t just stand around and let evil prevail. That wasn’t him.

It may have not been fair to my mother, but she understood. It wasn’t that he wanted to be away from us. It was just how the cards fell.

I can barely remember a time when he wasn’t having to run off into battle. It had to be before I was five, because that’s when I started fighting as well.

My father died trying while trying to stop my uncle. I remember the grief, but I was interrupted from that sadness as I was kidnapped by Piccolo at the time.

The Namek wanted to make me his student, he wanted to use me, but that never happened. Instead, I gained someone who felt like an older brother, and we gained a powerful ally.

I remember Piccolo’s sacrifice for me at the hands of Nappa and my father’s return from death. Again I was hit with grief, but didn’t have time for it to register.

You sent me away, not for the glory, but to keep me safe. I didn’t listen. I came back, and it’s a good thing I did. You would have died again. The Saiyan Prince would have killed you.

I was startled when I learned that you let him go. Why did you save the man who almost killed you? It wasn’t until later that I realized that your call was correct. Without Vegeta, Krillin and I wouldn’t have lasted long on Namek.

You came in our time of need; I almost died.

You became a living legend. I was proud to have a dad as strong as you.

I remember being faced with your death again, but you weren’t dead. You survived both Frieza and the destruction of Namek. I was relieved, even if you didn’t just come straight back. I knew what you were doing. You had become so strong, Namek was almost destroyed by your power alone. You would want to harness that power before returning.

Frieza returned, but was stopped by a mystery boy from the future. You came back as well, but the news I got wasn’t the best. Even if I was the only one to survive the Androids, I could never be happy knowing that everyone else would be dead.

I learned of the heart virus that would take you away again, but I was told there was medicine. So I put that fear away.

Mom didn’t want us to train, I think she had enough with all of the fighting, but I knew neither of us could just stand around and do nothing.

We trained in secret for years, preparing for the challenge that came our way.

The androids came and you fell ill. I worried, but I couldn’t focus on that. I had to stay sharp.

Myself and the boy from the future, started to unravel more. A true monster had come. The being that would seal your fate and mine.

When it was discovered and you were healed, we waited. I watched as Piccolo almost died again. You saved his life, I was grateful again. Was there anything you couldn’t do?

We went into the chamber and you started to show me more. You told me that I could become a warrior of legend, just like you. I trained every day. Hoping that you were right. I could feel myself grow stronger, but I didn’t see how I could ever match up to you.

We came out and I had reached the form, but I was nowhere as strong as you, Vegeta, or Trunks. I didn’t understand how you could be so confident in me. The truth was, I really didn’t like fighting the same way you did. Yes, I would fight because if I didn’t everything I cared for would be destroyed, but if there was no danger I would probably slack off.

The Cell Games came, and I befriended an Android. The monster known as Cell murdered him… And I finally understood what you meant. The strength I didn’t know I had came forward. I surged to a form higher than you. I surpassed you. And you looked so proud.

But fate would get in the way again, you would pass on in that battle. And I was left as the strongest one on Earth.

I didn’t hate you; I could never hate you. You did what you had to do. You blamed yourself for causing the creation of Cell. You didn’t want that to happen again. So this time you stayed dead.

Mother found out she was pregnant soon after, Goten was born less than a year later. I often tell him stories about you. Our father, the grand hero. He wants to fight too, but the time is peaceful, for now.

The tournament is next week, and I can’t wait to see you. It’s been seven years since that battle, and thinking back on everything I can truly say, I’m proud. I’m proud that I’m your son. That you’re my father. I wouldn’t have gotten far without you and I’m grateful. Grateful for the trust and strength you gave me.

Author’s Note

Yes, this ends before the Buu Saga, that’s because we get the bulk of Gohan and Goku’s interaction before the Buu Saga. 


	2. Trunks

The gravity room. The place where I was created…well the reason I exist. I know that if this metal room was never built, I wouldn’t be here. My father would not have stuck around here without it. At least not long enough to make me.

From the look of an outsider, my father may look like he hates both mom and I, but I know that’s not true. It’s just how he is. Earth is full of weak beings whom he just doesn’t have time for. Their problems mean nothing to him.

I remember when I was a child, my father would push me. He wanted me to live up to our heritage. I had his blood, I needed to be a strong warrior. So I would train with him.

Let me tell you, he was never easy on me. He was making a man, not catering to a boy. His expectations were high, but that didn’t matter to me. I just wanted to spend time with him.

My best friend’s father was dead and I wasn’t about to waste time with mine.

I found it odd what others would say. I heard from many different people that I was the result of a one night stand and that my father never wanted a family, but he had one.

If it was a one night deal between my parents, then I was even more impressed. My father could have left my mother to raise me alone, it wasn’t like she didn’t have the resources. But he stayed. He stayed and he taught me a lot.

The first thing my father taught me was how to walk. It was a condition he had for training me. My mother came home and I was running around the house breaking things, to my father’s delight.

After that it was how to punch and kick. To others this may have seemed dumb or stupid, but these were the fighting techniques of his people, a people that were basically extinct. It was an honor really.

When I was getting too cocky, he always knocked me down a few pegs.

Some days, we would train until nightfall and mom would always appear on the large screen in the gravity room. She would usually just tell us that dinner was ready, and he would always make a gagging sound, which in turn made me laugh. It wasn’t until we saw that Grandma Bunny or one of the robots had made it that the two of us would relax.

I remember the day I went Super Saiyan for the first time, I could see the shock on his face. He was trying to mask his pride. I was in turn shocked when he asked me to punch him. He made me a promise if I hit him, but I never expected him to keep it. I got him right on the cheek and then he punched me hard in anger. After he did it I was kind of shocked, but I know now that it was a natural reaction for him. He looked kind of stunned afterward.

Oh, how proud he was at the tournament. I ended up beating Goten and winning the entire junior rank. I heard my father rubbing it in Goten’s father’s face. I felt proud.

Soon after, my pride would be replaced with confusion and sadness.

He showed up at the tournament after disappearing, but he was different. A strange M was on his head and he wasn’t himself. He fired a blast at the crowd killing hundreds. He almost got both mom and I in the flames. Soon after, both he and Goten’s father blasted off. I made to follow, Goten on my tail. I had to know what was going on. Why he did this.

What I found would change me forever. I didn’t come across him until after he had come to blows with Goten’s father. He was already damaged from that, but now this pink blob was coming our way. My father was breathing hard. But that couldn’t be right. My dad was the strongest in the universe. Nothing could make him gasp for breath.

His eyes found me, and for the first time I saw fear in those eyes. But it wasn’t for himself. It was for me. He told me to look after mom, but I wasn’t having it. I didn’t understand what he was doing. Then he hugged me, I should have known what he was going to do then. My father never hugged me. He even refused to carry me as a baby.

In the blink of an eye everything went black. When I awoke I was told the news. That he was gone, dead. Everything I ever knew about my father came crashing down.

Like any child, I believed my father was invincible. That nothing could touch him. My father’s mortality was never called into question, he was untouchable. Now he was dead and I wasn’t given any time to mourn. I was only told to train with Goten.

That was it, until I woke up. After Buu was destroyed, I remember waking up and seeing my mother’s worried face. We had made it out alive, but I didn’t know what to do. Dad told me to look after her, but how would I do that? That was his job.

Just as I was about to ask, my father appeared, alive and well. I was shocked and ecstatic. I didn’t have to look after mom after all. He didn’t say much, but I could tell he was happy to be alive.

After going through that I had a new respect for my father. Before it was because he was strong, now it was because of his sacrifice.

My father could have done a lot of things. He could have destroyed the planet, left my mother, never looked after me, never spent time with me. He could have just left the planet without a word and that would be that.

But he didn’t. He stayed with my mother. He cared for both my mother and me. He taught me not just to fight, but to have confidence in myself.

But the most important lesson he passed on to me would be what he did on that day he sacrificed himself. He didn’t do it to be a hero. He didn’t do it for Earth. He didn’t do it for fame. He did it for my mother and me. The rest of the world didn’t matter, our safety came first. Our family came first.

So now as a teenager, I am leaving the gravity room, wondering if I’ll ever love someone that much. If I’ll ever have children of my own and if I’ll ever have to put my soul on the line. Because if I did, I know what I would do. I have my father to thank for that.

_Author’s Note_

 

_Now the next one, it won’t be as happy as the others just a warning._


	3. Goten

_Before I start, I am going to say again that this is nothing like the other two. This is just a darker turn on how Goten sees Goku. Remember, I have not seen GT and Super is not being included, so that five years between the Buu Saga and the ending of Z is all headcannon and should not be taken seriously._

_This is also kind of a set up for a longer fic that I plan on writing.(This is an old author's note, but its kind of funny that I'm not talking about Days Forgotten here.)_

* * *

 

I sit here annoyed as I look at you. You’re about ready to leave again. Figures. Mom looks like she wants to cry and here you go again, about ready to pull this stunt. Again, I’m not surprised. You were barely around to begin with, so I don’t understand how she can be so sad about you leaving.

When I think back to the beginning of my life, you were never a part of that. It was just mom, Gohan, and me for such a long time. They told me that you were dead and that you had died saving the planet. At the time I was proud to have a dad like you, oh how wrong I was.

Because you were a fighter, I wanted to learn as well. Mom trained me for the most part. Gohan wasn’t too happy about it at first, as mom didn’t want him to train when he was my age, but he gladly started showing me things when the tournament was announced.

I knew I was behind, my best friend had his father training him, and Vegeta was a powerhouse.

I became a Super Saiyan, much to my mother’s dismay and brother’s shock. I didn’t know much about the form then, but I was told that you could use it so I was proud of myself. Trunks was also able to transform, but that didn’t stop me from being proud.

We got the news that you were coming back for a day. I was nervous. You were coming for the tournament and now I knew you were going to be watching me. The idea of failure was already driving me up the wall. I couldn’t fail you. What would you think of me if I did?

The day finally came and there you were. I found myself scared. What would you think of me?

At first I am shocked. You don’t even recognize me. Sure, I was born after your death, but you never took the time to check on us. Gohan said you could do that from beyond the grave.

But to my surprise, you came forward and told me your name. You had this look of sadness in your eyes. I believed that you felt bad, and I ran to you and you played with me for several minutes. Then that stupid witch decided to interrupt us.

I remained nervous as the tournament started, but I took out my opponents with ease. The tournament was kind of boring till I squared off against Trunks. The pressure was on then. Both of us wanted to impress our fathers. Much to my disappointment I lost. Even I could hear the disappointment in your voice. It was the beginning of the end of our relationship.

During the adult division, Vegeta went mad. I watched as he sent a blast out to kill everyone in the stands. You looked angry, but strangely enough I can understand his mindset at the time. He wanted to defeat you, to prove himself as the strongest. I can’t fault him for that, as I found myself wanting the same thing. I wanted to win that tournament so you would see me as being as strong as you were.

Before I knew it, Trunks and I were headed out after you and Vegeta. We didn’t find you. Only Vegeta and Buu. It was then that I realized the difference between you and Trunk’s father. Vegeta ended up sacrificing himself for his family. Not for Earth. It sounds selfish in a way, but I could see the logic, especially now. The fact that Vegeta made sure that I was out of the way didn’t negate his actions, rather it made me respect him far more than I do you.

I remember coming to after Vegeta’s death and you telling me of both his and Gohan’s demise. I blamed you. If you never left this would have never happened.

And as soon as you showed up you had to leave, but not after telling both Trunks and I that we had to train to fight Buu. Really? I was 7 and you were telling me to train! And you left us there with Piccolo, I know the guy trained Gohan, but he was out of practice. Heck, most of Earth’s fighters were out of practice. You were going to ride on Trunks and me at 7 and 8? What were you thinking?

And just as predicted, we failed, even after learning how to fuse. In the end, it was you who saved everyone.

I thought that maybe you would start training me in the end, but you didn’t. You wanted to spar from time to time, but I was no match for you. I had already conceded myself to being a failure in your eyes. I stopped even thinking about fighting, I just wanted nothing to do with you.

Now as a teenager, I know the truth. Gohan was your perfect child. I was just an afterthought. You spend more time with him and Pan then you have even spent with me. It makes me want to get off of this rock and far away from you.

I’ve gone and made up my mind. I was a stupid child, too naïve for my own good. All you have done is cause both Mother and I pain. The world as I see it now, I have no father, nor will I ever have a father. As far as I’m concerned, my family is the same as it was before I was seven. You just aren’t a part of the equation, nor will you ever be.

I hate you, Dad, we can never be father and son. Not in a million years.


	4. Future Trunks

My mother always told me not to have high expectations when it came to my father. At first, I didn’t know why. She didn’t tell me much about him. Only his name, some nods to his appearance, and how he died. I pictured him to be a hero, as he did die in an attempt to bring down the Androids.

It wasn’t until I had a chance to meet him that I discovered the truth.

The visions I had as a child were shattered. He was nothing like I thought he would be. Instead of a hero, he was a villain. He was an arrogant, loathsome person that wanted no interaction from the outside world, unless if they were there to fight him. Anything could set him off and unlike the other warriors that I had known, he would not hesitate to kill one of his comrades.

His dislike of me was apparent, like all he saw was disappointment. Every time I tried to get closer, he would actively push me away, creating even more hatred for him.

Yeah that’s right, I came to hate him over the time we spent together.

The first time we met was before my birth, but even then I could tell something was up. You didn’t like my staring, which, yes, I know is rude, but can you really blame me? I had never met my father, nor had I even seen him. I was curious and nervous at that time and truly naïve.

It wasn’t until the second time that I started to understand who he was. He almost let Mom and the baby me die, and he did nothing. He tried nothing to stop the blast, nor did he even look worried afterward. He was mainly focused on his target. I tried to ask him why, but he disregarded me.

But I continued to try, even though at times I just thought of giving up. I tried to get to know him, but he refused to let me in. He refused to let anyone in.

I was kind of happy that we were going to train together inside the chamber, I thought maybe we would have some time to connect. Oh, how wrong I was. It was horrible. I was basically his punching bag in there. Not only that, but when he wasn’t attacking me, he didn’t speak to me. It was a long year of loneliness. I counted the days till I could get out of there, even though I knew I was getting stronger.

We came out of the chamber and soon enough we were face to face with Cell. We had a chance to destroy him, but then he shifted his focus. He decided to make him stronger. I was enraged, after living under the thumb of death and destruction my entire life, I couldn’t let him ruin this timeline the same way mine was. I attacked him, watching as his expression went from arrogance to shock. He didn’t think I would dare to even try and stop him.

I tried to stop Cell, but I failed. We returned in defeat, 18 was absorbed. At this point I had given up. We were never going to be what I had always envisioned.

The Cell games were announced and I prepared, as did he.

The day finally came and I watched as both Gohan and Goku fought. The confidence Goku had in Gohan made me jealous.

Gohan’s true anger was unleashed, but he got cocky and I had to watch as Goku died to save us all. It didn’t work, Cell returned.

I remember a blast coming toward me before I was knocked out. Cold took over me, so this is how death feels. I apologized to my mother for my failure, that I wasn’t going to make it back to my time and stop the androids.

Soon after a bright light brought me back to the world of the living. I was shocked to discover that Cell had been destroyed. Now I could return home, but Gohan let me in on something. Something I didn’t expect. After I fell, my father let his rage take over him. He attacked Cell out of pure rage for what had happened to me. I didn’t believe him, I couldn’t believe him. It went against everything I had known about the man since I arrived. He didn’t care about anyone but himself.

I’m about to go back to my time and I see as he gives me a sign with his hand, maybe I was wrong. Maybe he did care, but just doesn’t know how to show it. Maybe, just maybe, I opened his heart up just a little bit. I find myself hopeful as I returned to my own time, hopeful that the me from the past will have a father that cares about his son. Hopeful that he will stay and watch that boy grow into a man, instead of leaving for parts unknown.

Maybe someday, we can come face to face again, but I doubt it. I have no reason to run into the past; I have to focus on the future.

_Author's note_

_You know this old chapter is just funny in retrospect, considering that we did get to see Future Trunks return and have a better relationship with Vegeta during the Black saga._


End file.
